As he hitched his boat to the foot of the ladder and then began to climb up the Lightship’s high, steep sides, Nat could hear the captain mumbling and grumbling good-naturedly to himself.
“What’s the world coming to?” he was saying over and over. “Sea-going lun-atics a-wandering round the good Lord’s ocean in boats without oars, an’ bumping into lightships an—so here you are!” he broke off as Nat nimbly climbed on board. “Why, you’re nothing but a kid! If this ain’t the beatingest I ever heard tell of. Well, anyhow, welcome to the Lightship and then spin us yer yarn, fer I know you have one.”
“I certainly have,” laughed Nat, “and I’m no lunatic, either, as I hope to convince you. But you said this was a Lightship. I see the masts and the big light cages on top, but where are the lights?”
“Ah, that’s just it, my lad. I was near crazy with worriment when you come bumping along. Hen Coffin, he’s my partner out here, went ashore last night on leave. He’s a fine mechanic, Hen is, and if he’d been here the lights would have been going all right, but, Lord bless you, when something went wrong with the engine that drives the dynamos I was helpless as a babe unborn.”
“Maybe I can help you,” said Nat, sympathizing with the old man’s distress. “Does a gasolene engine furnish your power?”
“Yes, consarn the pesky thing’s hide. Thank goodness, there ain’t no steamers due up or down to-night; nothing but some coasters and steam schooners, and they know the coast well enough to smell their way out of trouble. But if some big steamer had come blundering along with a foreign skipper on the bridge, phew!” And the old man wiped his forehead on which the perspiration had broken out at the thought of the tragedy for which the failure of the light might have been responsible.
“How do you know that no foreign vessels or big steamers are due to-night?” asked Nat curiously.
“Why, by the wireless, of course. We gets reports from all up and down the coast. They’re relayed from one station to another, just as we notify all stations of the ships that pass here.”
Nat gave a joyful exclamation.
“What a bit of luck that I bumped into you!” he exclaimed jubilantly.